Method of splicing ropes and cables



(Specimens.) 2 Sheets-Shet 1.

S. W. VERRILL.

METHOD OF SPLIOING ROPES AND GABLES. No. 439,583. Patented 00t.28,1890.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(Specimens.)

S. W. VERRILL- METHOD OF SPLIGING ROPES AND CABLES Patented Oct. 28,1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SULLIVAN W. VERRILL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO WILLIAM H. PREBLE, OF SAME PLACE, AND ANDREW B. SPURLING,

OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS.

METHOD OF SPLICING ROPES AND CABLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,583, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed October 16,1889. Serial No. 327,171- ($pecimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SULLIVAN W. VERRILL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Splicing Ropes and Cables, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in methods of splicing ropes and cables in which the strands of the opposing ends of the rope or cable to be spliced are first unlaid and afterward divided for the purposes of reducing the diameter of the splice throughout substantially to the diameter of the rope or cable, and in which the twist and lay of the strands are the same at the splice as in other parts of the rope or cable.

The object of my invention is a splice not only of the diameter of the cable and containing a twist and lay of the strands coincident therewith, but which shall contain throughout its length the same number of stands with the same number of yarns or wires, as may be, and have substantially the same strength and appearance as the unspliced portion of the rope or cable in which it is made, and which at the same time is equally well adapted to ropes, whether fibrous or raw hide, and to wire cables, whether or not they contain a core, and which in nowise mars the appearance of the rope or cable in which it is made.

Another object is a substantial reduction in the length of cable heretofore required for making a splice having the diameter and twist above referred to.

These objects are attained by the method illustrated in the accompanying drawings,the several figures of which for convenience will be described in disclosing the several steps of my method; and in this connection it is proper to add that the rope therein shown is of rawhide, but, as will be disclosed, may be of hemp or other fibrous material, or a wire cable, for my method is equally well adapted to either, as will be explained further on.

Throughout the several figures of the drawings the rope illustrated is composed of three strands, each of which strands contains six thongs, termed both in ropes and cables, and hereinafter referred to as yarns.

Figure 1 shows the opposing endsof a cable with the strands untwisted and in position for embodying my method, the strands upon the one end being designated A,B, and O, and upon the other end D, E, and F, and in practice are laid back for about twelve inches on each end; but it may be more or less. Each of the unlaid strands is'then divided, as shown in Fig. 2, and these divisions separately twisted-as, for example, the strands A, B, and O of the one end and the strands D, E, and F of the opposing end of the rope are respectively divided into the twisted strands a a b b c c d d e 'e' ff so that each of said divisional strands in the rope shown contains three yarns, the twist of which is in the same direction as the strand of which they are a division, and their twist extending back to the unlaid portion of the main strands. Three of the divisional strandsone from each main strand of the opposing ends of the cable-as, for example, the strands a, b, and 0 upon the one end, d, a, and f on the other en'dare then laid together for about one-half of their entire length with a twist coinciding with the twist of the cable, as shown in Fig. 3; but the same result would be produced if, instead of these strands, strands a b cand d c f were so laid together. The strands after being so laid together about one-half of their length form on the opposing ends of the cable a smaller cable containing one-half the number of yarns of the whole cable and are then brought close up together, as shown in Fig. 4, so that the twisted strands of one end oppose and coincide with the corresponding strands on the other end, in which position the strands a, b, and 0' pass through between corresponding strands d, e, and f, interlocking therewith, and project toward the main strands D, E, and F, and likewise the strands d, e, and f project toward the strands A, B, and O. l/Vhile held in this position the opposing strands are tucked around each other back to the main portion of the rope or cable and in a twist coincident with each other, so

that two of said opposing divisional strands,

when respectively tucked around each other in opposite directions, are united and form a single strand having the same number of yarns and the same twist and direction of twist as with the unlaid main strands of the rope. This operation of tucking or laying together two of the divisional strands to form a single large strand is facilitated by completing; the tucking of one set of the projecting strands before the others-as, for example, tucking or laying the strands d, e, and f into the united strands a, b, and cthe first step in said tucking being shown in Fig. 5, in which the strand f is tucked once around the strand a and passed under the strand a a second time to make the second. tuck.

The tucking of the free end of any divisional strand may, if desired, be fully completed before tucking any of the others-as, for example, the strand f may be tucked forward to the main strand A and its ends disposed of in the cable, as hereinafter described, before tucking the strands cl 6; but in prac tice the several strands d e f are alternately tueked-thatis to say, their tucking is carried on together, as shown in Fig. 6, until completed, as shown in Fig. 7, after which the strands a b c are tucked in precisely the same manner.

After tucking the several divisional strands forward in the manner last described close up to the main strands of the rope the then projecting end of such strand is untwisted and one of the yarns severed close to the rope and the remaining two yarns tucked in through the main rope one or more times in diiferent directions, but always with the twist of the main strands, which they respectively follow, as shown at the left of Fig. 7.

All three of the yarns may,when untwisted, be separately tucked; but in practice it is preferred to tuck but two of them when there are three yarns to a strand, and likewise when there are four yarns to a strand; or, in other words, two separately tucked put in onehalf as nearly as possible of the yarns in a divisional strand, for by so doing the strand as a Whole is sufficiently locked for all practical purposes, and at the same time the increase in the diameter of the ropeatthe point where the tuck is made is reduced to a minimum. So, also, whether there are'three or four yarns in a divisional strand, one of the separated yarns may be severed without tucking, the next one tucked once around its coinciding main strand, the third one tucked twice around its coinciding main strand, and the fourth one three times around its coinciding main strand, so that the cut-off ends of these separate yarns will be at intervalsin the rope, or instead the tucked ends may be separately carried through the rope and tucked around the main strands not actually coincidingwith the yarns where they branch from the di visional strands, though in any event each divisional strand should be tucked around a different main strand, and not two of the divisional strands around the same main strand, for by thus separating them and tucking them they are more securely locked in the rope, and the diameter of every main strand uniformly increased.

Fig. 8 illustrates the tucking completed, and all there remains to be done is to sever close off to the rope the projecting ends of the strands a l) c d e f, and the ends of the yarns projecting after being finally tucked. 3y tucking the separated yarns of a rope or cable, whether fibrous or rawhide, as described and shown, there is no appreciable increase in the diameter of the cable at any point for the reason that the yarns in a fibrous cable will be flattened and distributed by the pressure of the strands, and in a rawhide cable the yarns are always of substantially thin and narrow strips, and the same is practically true of the wire cable when the separated wires are laid in a score or depression between adjacent wires of the strands around which they are tucked, and besides, in a wire cable several of the separated wires may be tucked side by side at diiferentpoints in the cable, so that at no point is the diameter of the cable increased more than the diameter of one strand of wire. In this connection it is proper to add that the manipulation of a wire cable in splicing under my method is precisely the same as with a rawhide or fibrous rope, for each wire corresponds with each yarn of a rawhide rope, and to all intents and purposes with each yarn of a fibrous rope. Suppose, for example, it is desired to splice a wire cable containing a hemp core and three wire strands, each containing nineteen wires. The strands are laid back precisely the same as shown in Fig. 1, the core cut out, and the strands then divided, so that the division (Z will contain nine wires, the-division d ten wires, the division 6 nine wires, the division c ten wires, the division f nine wires, and the division f ten wires. Now, if the division d with its nine wires, 6 with its ten wires, and the division f with ten wires be laid together to form the small cable, as shown in Fig. 3, the reverse of this will take place as to the divided strands on the opposing end of the cable-that is to say, two of its divisions will contain nine wires and one ten wires, so that by properly bringing the ends of the small cable together, as shown at Fig. 4, the nine-wire divisions of the one end will be tucked around the ten-wire division of the other, and therefore the small cable will contain as nearly as possible just half the number of wires as is contained in the unspliced portion of the cable.

The divided strands of wire are twisted about each other, then laid into each other, and afterward tucked precisely as shown and described in the rawhide rope illustrated in the drawings, and after being tucked back .to the main cable their ends are separated and disposed of as described.

The dividing of the strands in the manner IIO above described is an essential step in order to preserve a uniformity of diameter of the splice with that of the main cable, and the formation of the short length of the smaller cable and the tucking of opposing strands around the strands of this small rope or cable provide a means for securely locking the splice throughout its length and to the main body of the cable, and to such a degree that the practical use of this device has demonstrated it to be substantially as strong and in some instances stronger than unspliced portions of the rope or cable.

In addition to the advantages just referred to, another important advantage is secured in that the length of cable required to make a splice having this uniformity in diameter, in strength, and conformity in appearance to the main cable is reduced to a minimum, and as a result there is a corresponding saving in spliced ropes and cables. This is of importance, owing to the fact that ropes and cables sometimes require frequent splicing, not by reason of any weakness in the splice, but from being accidentally cut through at other points, and when any considerable length is taken up for a splice by repeated splicing the cable is eventually shortened to such an extent as to unfit it for further use, although not worn out, and to insert a short piece is impossible, because requiring a new piece of cable,which, if inserted, will make the cable too long or else produce splices so close together as to unfit the cable for use.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The herein-described method of splicing ropes and cables, the same consisting in laying back all of the strands of the opposing ends, then laying or twisting together in rope or cable form one-half of said strands for a portion of their length, and finally tucking the projecting ends of said half-strands into the half rope or cable so formed, substantially as described,

2. The herein-described method of splicing ropes and cables, the same consisting in laying back all of the strands of the opposing ends, then laying ortwistin g together in rope form one-half of each strand for a portion of its length, then tucking the projecting ends of said half-strands into the half-rope so formed, and finally tucking the terminals of said half-strands in a divided condition between the strands of the main cable, substantially as described.

3. The herein-described method of splicing ropes and cables, the same consisting in unlaying all of the yarns or strands of the opposing ends, then laying together in the form of a rope or cable one-half of each strand for a portion of its length with a twist coincident with that of the main rope or cable, and finally tucking the projecting ends of said half-strands into the half rope or cable so formed, substantially as described.

4. The herein-described method of splicing ropes and cables, the same consisting in unlaying all of the strands of the opposing ends, then laying together in the form of a rope or cable one-half of each strand for aportion of its length and in a plane coincident with the twist of the rope or cable, and finally tucking their ends into the half or sub rope or cable so formed and with a twist coincident with both the half or sub rope and main rope or cable, substantially as described.

5. The herein-described method of splicing ropes and cables, the same consisting in unlaying all of the strands of the opposing ends and then laying in the form of a rope or cable and with a twist coincident with the plane of the ,main rope or cable one-half of the halfstrands for a portion of their length, then tucking the remaining length into the sub rope or cable so formed in a twist coincident therewith and with the main rope or cable, and finally subdividing the extremities of each of said half-strands and tucking them between the strands of the main rope or cable, substantially as described.

SULLIVAN V. VERRILL.

Witnesses: Y

R. O. OMOHUNDRO, JNQ. G. ELLIOTT. 

